Pedal tricks: mounting your bicycle

[RolliePollie]

Do you know how to mount your bicycle the cross-cycling way where you clip in the foot to the pedal closest to you while the bike is moving and then hop on it? How did you learn?

I am afraid to try it Any tips?

There is no way I could ever get up the courage to try this. Although people who do it make it look easy. For uncoordinated me, bike and self would both end up in a broken heap on the ground!

[Pedal Wench]

My BF starts this way - not so much the running cross mount, but he starts out standing to the side of the bike, clipping in one foot, rolls with both legs on one side, then once moving, swings his leg over. It's incredibly graceful, and although he tried, there was no way I was going to be able to duplicate it.

[Tuckervill]

I do that all the time, too. I DON'T do it on a cyclocross course at full speed or in a hurry, but it has always been my way of mounting the bike. I use other ways, of course where appropriate. I just remember doing that a lot as a kid and I didn't have any trouble incorporating it when I started riding again in my 40s. It's something you never forget, like...riding a bicycle! lol.

With clipless pedals, I'm less likely to clip in before I take off, but I'm capable of it and have done it. With the right bike, I can ride on that pedal and push off with my other leg like a skateboard for quite a while.

I think the flying jump where you land on the saddle before your feet hit the pedals is kind of scary, though. It reminds me of those times when my foot SLIPPED off that mounting pedal, and I ended up on the bar. ouch. I have no need to try that, so I won't get over my fear. lol.

Karen

[OakLeaf]

I do a cross dismount on my step-through hybrid all the time... but I do step through to dismount, not sure if I could do it with a leg over. I wish I had the nerve to try mounting that way!

[kenyonchris]

We learned this in bike school as part of our patrol tactics...we had to learn to dismount like that too (swing leg over as bike slows, cross "off" foot behind the foot on the pedal, then step down ready to run). It is not as difficult as it looks. Practicing on a mountain bike or hybrid is probably a good idea. The more momentum you have, the easier it is (the bike will wobble less).
A good idea is to lower your seat a bit so you don't have to swing quite as high until you are used to the movement...
We had to bike into a cone course fast, swing our leg over, balance on the one pedal, and serpentine through a set of cones like that. Fun!